


Rewriting the Past

by AccidentalAvenger



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Temporal Chalice, Time Travel, tres horny boys - Freeform, what if magnus had taken the chalice?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-05 02:40:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12785181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AccidentalAvenger/pseuds/AccidentalAvenger
Summary: "Magnus, you earned this happy ending. You worked so hard for it. It shoulda been yours! But it hasn’t happened yet. Not here! Not yet! Not now! If you claim me, you can still stop Kalen. You can save Julia. You can save Steven. You can save Raven’s Roost- You can save this life that you earned. Take me, and we can do it together."Magnus takes the Temporal Chalice's offer.





	1. Re-creation

They’re back in the Davy Lamp, sat together at a table with June, the Chalice in her hands, watching them intently. Magnus stays silent as she explains the rules and then she slides the Chalice to the middle of the table. He clenches his fists in his lap, not daring to look up at his friends as he addresses them carefully.

“Taako, Merle. I assume we all kinda just had similar- but different- experiences-”  
“I had an apostrophe,” Merle interjects in a grandiose voice and Magnus has to laugh at that despite everything.  
“I thought that might be the case,” he says with a smile before it fades and he continues, “Of things that we might be able- to change. If we were to pick up this cup.”  
“Yeah,” Taako replies, unusually quiet which makes Magnus wonder what could have impacted Taako of all people that deeply.  
“Merle?” Magnus asks.  
“You wanna talk about it?” comes the reply and Magnus wants to laugh bitterly but he bites his lip and shakes his head.  
“Not right this second. You?”

“Meh. I got offered my arm back. But you know, the whole tree-arm thing turned out pretty chill so I think I’m good. You know me, I like to take the shots as they come and just, well, roll with the consequences. Live life in the moment and not worry about the past, y’know? That’s a Merle Pearl of wisdom for you boys there.” He sounds blasé about the whole thing and Magnus feels a flash of jealousy-- the worst thing he lost was an arm which got replaced by a God a few minutes later. If only- No.

“I’m alright, I gotta be honest with you fellows.” Taako’s voice cuts through Magnus’ train of thought. “The Chalice showed me- well, you know that thing I felt kinda bad about? That ended my cooking show?” Magnus frowns, remembering a few offhand comments Taako made about food poisoning. Maybe it was worse than Taako ever let on.  
“Well,” Taako continued, his voice sounding bright, “Turns out that it wasn’t my fault. Not completely – more like 40% my fault but that’s still pretty good. So, I’m in the best possible timeline for Taako, at the moment.”

“I am… disappointed,” the Chalice/June admits in her quiet, unassuming voice, “What about you, Magnus?”

Magnus closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He tries to organise his thoughts, to remember all the people he’s saved and been friends with. Part of him is screaming that the Chalice is manipulative, that they were warned against this appeal, and that all that he has seen has been the worst, most painful moment- that nothing of the good that has happened since was there.

But he can’t. His brain is fuzzy; this whole town has been turning his thoughts into static since he arrived and looking at June holding the cup just hurts his head. And all the memories from the past six years, all the questions he has and things that he plans to do, they’re all obscured by that picture of Julia’s shining smile which has been imprinted on his heart since the first time he saw her. And his heart has just broken all over again, every emotional wound reopened, every fibre of his being calling out for Raven’s Roost, and Steven, and Julia-Julia-Julia…

And the town of Refuge, collapsing into the mines in a fiery explosion over and over again. Magnus has to wonder if that was what it was like for the Craftsman’s Column as it was destroyed. Did Julia feel the pain that he felt as she died? Could he save both towns?

He remembers asking the Director if the Grand Relics could ever be used for good. She’d said no but- if he could save Julia, then wasn’t that enough good?

“Will Refuge be safe?” he chokes out, eyes still squeezed shut. Beside him, Merle takes a sharp breath.  
“Yes. The cup in Refuge will lose its power. I- that is, the Chalice, not June, will be with you and I’ll be busy creating that timeline until it’s stable. Isaac will never kill Jack under the thrall of the Chalice, Refuge will never be trapped in a bubble. It will just be a town.”  
“When will the timeline be stable?” Magnus asks intently.  
“I can’t say. No one’s got there before, it always collapsed before then.”

“Magnus-” Merle begins, cautiously, “Are you sure?”  
“If I can save Julia, then I have to try,” Magnus says, “She died six years ago. I wasn’t there. But I could be. Please. I need to do this.”  
“We’re messing with some big shit here, bubblah, you sure you know what you’re getting into?” Taako asks and Magnus opens his eyes to see his two friends looking at him, concern shining in their eyes. June stares at him impassively and in the middle of the table sits the cup, plain but sturdy and beautiful in its own way. Magnus’ fingers itch to reach out and just take it.

“I don’t know,” he admits, bowing his head low over the table and clasping his hands, “But I do know that I want this enough. Even if I get to spend one more day with Julia- that’s enough to want a new timeline.”  
“Well,” Merle says reflectively, “Julia sounds pretty cool. I can’t wait to meet her.”  
Magnus’ head shoots up, “You’re not gonna stop me?”  
“Nah homie,” Taako says, rolling his eyes and flicking his braid over his shoulder, “We’re your friends; we got your back. Is it a crappy idea? Yeah. But so is everything else we do, and that tends to work out.”  
Merle chuckles. “We’re Tres Horny Boys. If anyone can figure out how to stop the Grand Relics on an entirely new path, that’s us.”  
“Plus, time travel? That’s pretty rad. And I get ‘Sizzle it up with Taako’ back,” Taako remarks. Magnus gives them both a watery smile. “Thank you.”

“So, Magnus,” June says, “Are you taking my offer?”  
He takes a deep breath and looks at the figure in the yellow dress who already looks younger, maybe fifty rather than eighty now. “Yes. I want to be back in Raven’s Roost.”  
June smiles and gestures towards the cup. Magnus reaches out and grasps the cup’s stem. It fits perfectly into his hand as if it was shaped exactly for him, the gold almost moulded to his fingers.

“Do you accept this power?” the Chalice asks and Magnus nods, taking a deep breath. The Davy Lamp around them begins to fade and the whiteness surrounding them begins to brighten.

“See you six years ago,” Merle jokes. June, now young again, gives a cruel laugh. They all look towards her and the malicious smile looks so fundamentally wrong on her young, innocent face. Magnus’ stomach drops.  
“Did you really think I would let you keep your memories?” the Chalice asks, voice harsh and high, “Things will be different but you’ll never be able to keep the timeline up forever and then that energy is mine. And did you really think I’d just let you remember so you can hunt down parts of me and destroy them? No way.”

“Oh shit,” Taako says, and Magnus tries to nod in agreement but finds he can’t move. He can’t let go of the cup, fist tight around it as he shakes. It begins to glow as the space around them is; painfully bright with threats of white light, shooting out of the cup and around Magnus’s hands, enveloping them. Panic claws its way up Magnus’ throat but he can’t open it to scream. The figure of June before them has become distorted, eyes glowing white as she floats upwards, cracks forming in her skin.

The chalice in Magnus’ hands begin to vibrate, becoming painfully hot and Magnus can’t move to drop it. He hears Merle’s panicked murmuring to Pan over the ringing in his head but can’t turn his head to look at his friends, his muscles locked in place and burning, eyes fixed upon June whose yellow dress whips around her as if she was hovering in the middle of a hurricane.

Then suddenly she stops. Her grin fades and her arms drop to her sides as she stares down at Magnus, expression suddenly and inexplicably horrified.  
“No!” she shouts, “No! I didn’t realise it was you! Not you- why- how didn’t you know it was me?”  
Magnus opens his mouth to ask what she means, finding suddenly that he can move his face at least but as he does, the world bursts into bright, white light which blinds him.

As this light burns through Magnus, shining deep into every part of him, he hears the Chalice speak, voice small and afraid. “This isn’t going to turn out how I thought it would. I don’t know what’s going to happen, Magnus.”

And then the light faded.

And Magnus breathed in the familiar scent of the Hammer and Tongs, the faint smell of lavender coming from the perfectly-carved chair in front of him.

He was home.

\------------------------------------

Somewhere, far away, in a room that Magnus had been in so many times but would not remember, an alarm went off.

Lucretia’s head shot up, eyes wide as she stared at the piece of machinery, it’s shrill beeping echoing around the empty dark room. It had been created decades ago to detect the Light of Creation’s power nearby. Whenever the Grand Relics they created had been used, the alarm had gone off and the crew had lowered their gazes, wondering what damage they had done this time.

It had been silent for five years. As had the ship and the lonely journal keeper upon it.

Unsteadily, Lucretia got to her feet and walked over to it, holding her breath. A map of the continent laid out before her, dark apart from one shining light, painfully bright in the dingy metal cockpit. It was on Raven’s Roost.

She exhaled shakily, closing her eyes. That was where she’d left Magnus; not that it was him who had used it, he couldn’t remember. No one could. Apart from Lup and Barry- maybe they’d heard of the leader of the rebellion and had gone to find him- maybe she didn’t have to be alone- maybe they’d try to stop her-

Whatever it was, it was a lead. The first one in five years, apart from the damned flyer for Wonderland which she kept hidden in a drawer, waiting and praying for better options. It was her responsibility to make sure the Relics didn’t hurt anyone else. And while she was there, perhaps she would see Magnus, see what his new wife was like. Maybe Lup or Barry would be there. Whatever was happening in Raven’s Roost: it was a start.

Lucretia turned away and went to ready the Starblaster. She had quite a journey ahead.


	2. Reunion

Magnus opened his eyes slowly, crouched on a worn wooden floor. The air was filled with the smell of sawdust, polish, and lavender. He breathed in deeply as the world around him came into focus, slowly, as if he was waking up after a long sleep. Yellow light dappled the floor he was on and familiar tools were scattered all around. In front of him, a dark wooden rocking chair sat, it’s legs wrapped in fabric for the journey.

The journey-

Magnus’ mind began to focus. The journey to Neverwinter for the carpentry competition. The one he knew he couldn’t go on- but he couldn’t remember why. But the thought of leaving the Hammer and Tongs made his chest clench painfully and his head spin.

“Magnus, are you alright, son?” Steven’s voice filtered into his ears and Magnus shook himself, spinning to face his mentor, forcing a smile on his face.  
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just-uh- just zoned out for a moment. What were you saying?”  
“I was just asking how you got the chair to smell nice? It’s incredible!” Steven’s violet eyes sparkled as he spoke, bright under his bushy dark eyebrows. He wasn’t all that old, Magnus realised with a start. There were threads of grey in his hair but he was still strong and full of vitality and determination. For some reason, that thought ached.  
“Oh,” Magnus replied, trying desperately to pull his thoughts back on track, “Oh- I rubbed lavender oil into the wood. I just- y’know, if you’re rocking a baby you want it to smell comforting. I wanted it to be a good experience for all the senses.”

Magnus remembers doing it, smoothing lavender oil that he had crushed himself over the dark wood, hands slippery and warm, letting the viscous oil spill thickly across the seat and sink into it, the air infused with the scent, so strong it made you heady. It had only been two days ago. Why then did it feel like a distant memory?

“That’s pretty damn smart. It’s an amazing chair, you’re gonna get that Master Carpenter prize for sure.”

The bell rung. Magnus’ head shot up as the wooden door swung open, late afternoon light spilling across through the shop like molten gold. And in stepped Julia, struggling with the mounds of paper she held. She glowed in the light, literally, the gold lining her dark skin and dancing off the brown coat she wore. Her hair was a mess, fighting against the pins she had hurriedly put in this morning, and falling across her face in windblown strands. She looked like she always did; as if she was barely stopping herself from bursting into laughter, her mouth curled up into a barely suppressed smile, and her eyes – just as bright as her father’s – glittering wickedly. She was breath-taking, she always was. But this time seeing her felt less like a joyous gasp, like when you can’t catch your breath after hysterical laughter, and more like being hit in the chest by a hammer. Julia stood in front of Magnus and his heart shattered.

She dropped the paper onto the desk, letting a few cascade to the floor, and sighed. As she walked over, she pulled the last few pins from her hair, tucking them into her pocket as her dark hair sprang free in a cloud and she grinned at her husband.  
“This chair smells like grandmas,” she teased, ruffling his hair. Her hand was warm, brushing through his hair fondly, and leaving him with the faint scent of oranges. Magnus still couldn’t breathe, couldn’t find the air in the room to reply. 

Julia frowned at him as he gaped up at her. “Something wrong, Maggie? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”  
 _I feel like I have,_ Magnus thought, but just opened and closed his mouth like fish. Something snagged in his mind- a fish- Steven- no. It was gone.  
“Well you better hurry up,” Julia said, grabbing some fabric. “Your bags and the cart to Neverwinter is waiting outside, they just arrived, and you better get going.” She smiled at him fondly, tossing some more fabric for the chair at him.

Magnus caught it on instinct, moving faster than he thought he could. He felt- stronger. As he moved, his brain produced a single, fervent thought.  
“I’m not going to Neverwinter. I can’t.”

Silence fell across the Hammer and Tongs and Magnus could feel both Julia and Steven staring at him.  
“Magnus,” began Steven, and his low, cautious tone caused such a sense of déjà-vu that Magnus felt dizzy. “Are you sure? This is what you’ve wanted. You can’t drop out on a whim.”  
“It’s not a whim,” snapped Magnus, dropping the sandpaper which he had been clutching desperately, “I’m not leaving Raven’s Roost. Screw Neverwinter and screw the competition.”  
“Magnus,” Julia said harshly. He turned to look to look up at his wife and saw anger flashing in her eyes. “I trust your instincts Magnus, but you don’t speak to us like that. No matter what you’re feeling. We’re your family and you tell us what’s going on. This competition was a big deal, it was important to you. Why don’t you wanna go? What’s changed?”

Magnus dropped his head, breathing heavily. He heard Steven get up, coming to stand beside him and laying a large, work-worn palm on his shoulder. It slowed the spinning thoughts in his mind and let him find the words.

“I- I feel that if I go,” he said slowly, testing each word in his mouth before speaking them, “I’ll never get the chance to come back. That I’ll never see you again.”  
Julia’s expression softened and she crouched down beside him, cupping his face in her hands. “Oh hun,” she murmured, “I understand. We haven’t been apart since, well since the rebellion. But this time, we’re not going into a fight, love. You’ll be back soon. Less than a month – there’s no battle or danger to kill us.”  
Magnus shook his head wordlessly, tears beginning to rise. He had to choke his next words out.  
“No, Jules, you don’t understand. I feel like it’s already happened- like you died, or- I don’t know. But it’s so strong, I- I can’t ignore this.”

Julia pursed her lips and then exhaled nodding. “Alright. Well, that means we can get on with these new furniture orders.”  
“I don’t have to- I can stay?” Magnus asked, chest tight. She rolled her eyes at him, leaning in to press a kiss to his forehead. “Of course, Maggie. You’re a grown-ass man. I can’t make you go anywhere,” she drew away, looking at him critically, “After all we’ve been through – I trust your gut. And I can see whatever this is- it’s shaken you.” She sighed, “I just hope you don’t regret staying.  
“I won’t,” Magnus promised, looking at Julia reverently, “This is the path I want to take.”

The world shifts slightly, seeming to settle around him. Magnus feels steadier, less like everything was about to disintegrate and he would just float away. He exhaled, breath shaking as Steven lifted his hand off his shoulder.  
“I’ll go tell the cart driver,” he muttered, “Let him know you’re staying. I’ll give you two a moment.” He left, the bell tinkling as the door swung shut behind him. Magnus lent forwards, burying his face into Julia’s shoulder, hands resting on her waist, and breathing deeply. Oranges. Cinnamon. Sawdust. Sweat. Julia. Julia.

“It’s alright, Maggie,” Julia said, dropping another kiss onto his forehead and brushing his hair back, “I’m safe. You’re safe. We won. C’mon, up you get.”  
Shakily he stood, letting his hands drop away from Julia who gives him a soft, fond smile before moving back to pick up the order forms on the floor by the desk. Magnus let himself watch her for a while, humming softly and tunelessly to herself as she ordered them. She paused briefly, looking at something on the desk as Steven comes back in.  
“Are you two letting people pay you in crockery now?” she asks, her voice mock-scolding.  
“What are you talking about?” Steven replied, taking the sheets from her and beginning to flick through.  
“The cup- on the desk. Y’know, the goblety one,” she explained, gesturing at a small golden chalice sitting in the middle of the table and Magnus’ blood runs cold. There are words on the tip of his tongue which he can’t quite remember- thoughts pressing up which won’t take shape- a panic rising in his stomach-

Then Julia speaks again. “It’s nice. Maybe a bit too fancy for everyday use but if we ever need to impress a guest, it could be a nice touch.” She grins at Magnus and winks. “Not that we need to impress anyone while my husband is a such an impressive hero himself.”  
Magnus stares at her and gives a short, embarrassed laugh, sticking his tongue out at her and pushing all uneasy thoughts away and burying them deep beneath the image of Julia’s smile.


	3. Rememberance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako remembers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor warning in this chapter for the depiction of an unhealthy relationship, although there's no physical abuse of any kind. Sazed is just gross.

“That,” Taako explained, sprinkling ingredients into the pan of sizzling oil in front of him, “Is how to properly sauté garlic.” The crowd murmured with approval.  
“And this,” he said with a wicked grin, “Is how to do it with style!”  
He reached down, grabbing the panhandle and moving it, and the oil exploded into a puff of bright blue smoke, flames reaching the top of the wagon he was in. The crowd gasped in delight as the delicious smelling smoke cleared to reveal the fully formed sauce beneath. As Taako held up the pan to show the pasta sauce, they applauded, talking excitedly among themselves. Taako gave an exaggerated bow, sweeping his hat off his head and grinning widely.

It was a few more tricks, a few more dramatic flairs and literal flames before Taako passed round the dish of samples and grinned as he watched people before him happily dig in. There was nothing better than people enjoying food that he’d put time and effort into making. As Sazed rushed around to pick up the plates, Taako took his bows, reaching low and sweeping his hat off.

“That is all for this show, my dudes. Thank you for coming, ladies and gents. There is a donation box by my cart so feel free to come up if you have any questions or would like to show your appreciation,” he winked and shimmied his hips, causing another laugh. “Our next show is a week from now in Glamour Springs so if any of you would like to see what I can magic up, I will be selling discounted tickets for familiar faces tomorrow before leaving! It’s the last show in this area so grab a place while you can!”

Slowly the crowd dispersed, a few people coming up to drop money in the box or to ask a question about cooking. One man flirted blatantly with Taako, trying to ask him out for a meal but Taako winked and let him off with a quip, his eyes drifting to Sazed who watched from inside the cart. Once the last stragglers had left, he wandered away from the sink, peeling off his gloves and leant down to give Taako a long, lingering kiss which the elf melted into.  
“Amazing show tonight, babe,” the taller man murmured, dropping onto a bench and pulling Taako down onto him, one hand winding his hand underneath Taako’s chef coat, “That thing with the sparklers went down a treat.”  
“Mhm, it really did,” Taako agreed, shifting even closer and grinning against Sazed’s jaw. “You know what else would go down a treat right now?”  
“Giving me a place on the show?” Sazed’s voice was hard suddenly and he quickly drew away, dropping the elf onto the bench beside him rather than his lap. Taako sighed, shutting his eyes in frustration as Sazed gripped his wrist painfully tight.

“We aren’t doing this now.”  
“We need to talk about it. You’re being selfish, the show is becoming repetitive and you can’t even deal with-“  
“We aren’t doing this now!” Taako snapped, eyes flashing angrily. Sazed closed his mouth, glaring at Taako. He looked so cold, eyes flashing angrily at the shorter elf. There seemed to be nothing but hatred behind there, cold and sharp as a knife. Taako closed his eyes, clenched his fists and took a deep breath before continuing.

“Look bubblah, we should celebrate tonight. It was a good show. You did your bit with the chicken jokes, we’re easing it in and we can plan more later. But tonight, we celebrate, okay? Cha’boy wants to get messed up and rumour is that run down in does actual champagne. I need that bubbly goodness, you get me?”

Sazed looked at Taako for a long moment and then sighed.  
“Fine. I’ll get my coat. We’ll do what you want, we always do.”

He stood up quickly and Taako sprung up to follow him but was hit with a wave of dizziness which made him gasp and grasp at the countertop. He clung to it as if it were a lifeline, his thoughts suddenly thrown into disarray. There were flashes of colour; fiery orange, white and midnight blue, granite grey, a deep red, a sandy yellow, bubble-gum pink, then finally a browny-red colour, all whirling past him- or was he moving through the colours? Then the world settled with a jolt, causing Taako to drop to his knees with a painful thud. The world slowly came back into focus and Sazed’s worried voice filtered through, repeating his name desperately.

Taako shook his head, trying to clear the white fog which filled his mind and made it hard to breath. Slowly, he looked up at Sazed and felt a strange shock at the man’s familiar face, as if he was surprised to see him. But that would be ridiculous. Sazed’s eyes were wide and familiar, a steel grey which showed nothing but concern. There was no trace of the hatred which had shone out a moment before and Taako let his shoulders drop in relief. This was Sazed. He knew him like the back of his hand, he could trust him. But that thought sat strangely uneasy but he ignored it, pulling himself up to his feet as the world shifted around him.

“Shit, sorry my man,” he said shakily, “Stood up too fast, you know?”  
“Are you sure you’re alright, Taak?” Sazed asked, voice low and concerned, “If you’re feeling weird then maybe it’s best not to go out and drink. Gotta be in good shape for the next show.”  
“Nah, it was just a headrush,” Taako insisted, stepping past Sazed quickly and trying to ignore the unprompted twist in his stomach at the mention of the upcoming show. He wasn’t nervous? “I’m gonna grab my stuff, be ready in ten minutes, homie?”

They reached the restaurant almost forty minutes later as Taako decided it was necessary to change out of his show clothes in case he met any fans – and the eyeshadow he had on really didn’t go with the clothes he wore so it had to be sorted. That had given Taako some time to think through the buzzing in his mind, but it hadn’t quieted. Seated at the restaurant, Taako could barely hear over the droning of the crowd and the static which seemed to fill his brain. Every time he tried to ignore it and focus on Sazed, he felt a stab of- of – something- nothing good, and his thoughts slipped back into the static. No amount of prosecco seemed to be fixing it.

Good had been less and less common with Sazed recently, ever since he had begun trying to get a place on the show, but this felt so much worse and Sazed could tell. Taako could feel anger beginning to radiate off the man opposite him, and he forced himself to smile at a couple of teenage dwarf-girls staring at him.

“I don’t understand why you won’t give me a role,” Sazed said through gritted teeth, sloshing bubbly into his glass for the umpteenth time, “The crowd loves it.”  
“In small amounts, yeah,” Taako replied with effort. The occasional joke was cute but leave Sazed to stutter on alone for too long got boring real fast.  
“Yeah but imagine: in a few days’ time we roll up into Glamour Springs and the sign reads ‘ _Sizzle it up with Taako and Sazed’_ – imagine the faces! Rebranding can bring in a lot of business, babe. It would be great!”

It’s the mention of Glamour Springs which makes it all click. Taako dropped the champagne flute he’s holding and its contents go spilling across their table. Sazed gave him a confused look as he stood and tentatively asked, “Babe?” The sound of Sazed’s voice filled Taako with revulsion that he flinched away.

“We need to go. Now.” Taako said coldly, dumping some bank notes on the table and turning around with a swish of his cloak. He ignored Sazed’s questions, walking quickly through the streets and back into the field where _Sizzle it Up’s_ benches and wagons were still parked. It was dark out and there was no longer static filling Taako’s mind- just one clear and awful memory.

He heard Sazed’s voice falter as he climbed into the supply wagon and that made Taako want to be sick. He already had it then. He was going to fuck Taako that night with a bottle of arsenic waiting for the next show. The thought caused Taako’s vision go red for a moment and the next thing he knew was that he was standing in front of an open closet, a small glass bottle clutched in his hand.

“Taako-” Sazed’s voice quavered, “Wh-what is that?”  
“Don’t even try, Sazed,” Taako snapped, “You were always a shitty actor. That’s why I didn’t want you on the show. And you were- are going to kill me for that.” Sazed opened his mouth to reply but Taako shot him a long, cold glare. “Don’t bother lying to me. What was your plan? To put it in my meal in the next show so that I choke and die in front of my audience?” The image made Taako laugh bitterly. “Fuck, what got you so fucked up, buddy, that not only do you want me gone, you wanna completely destroy the one thing I made that I’m proud of, the one thing that was always mine?”

Sazed stared at him in surprised silent and Taako gave another harsh laugh. “What, homie, you speechless? I got depth, y’know, and some brains.” He paused for a moment and then pulled out his wand. “Oh yeah. And I’m really fucking good at magic.”

“How-how did you know?” Sazed croaked out, giving up all pretences. He was pale and sweaty, hands raised before him as he slowly backed away. He cowered away and Taako felt bile rise in his throat at the pathetic sight.  
“Because you already did,” Taako spat out, “You put the poison in the Thirty Garlic Clove Chicken. ‘Cept guess what, ma bud? I forget to taste test it – just once. That shitty move saved my ass, but it killed forty people- everyone who came to my performance.” He paused and let out a choked sob. “I fed them their deaths and it was your fucking fault. Then you don’t fess up and you run. And I’ve got nothin’.”

Sazed’s lip curled up in distaste. “You sound insane, Taak, you know that? I don’t know how you figured it out but fuck, it’s your own fault to begin with and it sounds like it cracked you at last. Not that you weren’t before, but this is a bit further.”  
“You killed forty people and left the blame on me,” Taako hissed, ears standing upright and wand outstretched before him, “You were going to kill me for not having you share the show, for not giving you part my baby.” He hopes the fury raging inside of him comes through in his voice. “You deserve to fucking die.”

“You couldn’t do it,” Sazed scoffed, “You wouldn’t.”

Taako let off a magic missile which exploded the shelf behind Sazed, causing the man to throw himself to the ground his face suddenly terrified. “Oh yeah?” Taako took a step forwards. “I want to make it clear, here and now, that I don’t care about you. I did once but that’s gone. Kaboom. Nada. You tried to ruin everything I care about and now: I. Don’t. Give. A. Fuck.” He punctuated every word with a swipe of Mage Hand, sending showers of glass jars down around Sazed huddled on the floor. “Right now, I don’t want to deal with a body and I got my own shit to figure out. But I wanna make it clear: I will kill you if I ever see your snotty lil’ face again. Do you understand me?”

Sazed nodded, hands covering his head and Taako sneered down at the man. “One.” He began to count. Sazed sprung to his feet and fled. As the pounding footsteps grew quieter, Taako leant against the counter, his whole body shaking. The supply cart was wrecked, broken glass and ingredients everywhere but Taako couldn’t bring himself to care as scenes he couldn’t understand flitted through his mind.

As memories of before- before his friends- began to form a pattern, Taako found himself tempted to go after Sazed and kill him anyway; memories of hiding from the police, the feeling of his hard work and dreams being ripped away, the images of children throwing up violently after a few bites of chicken, quickly dropping unconscious, pale and sweaty beside their parents and friends and of blaming himself for it all until- until he’s been shown it by... Someone had told him and he had wanted to kill Sazed. But he had the feeling Magnus wouldn’t like the execution of a man who hadn’t committed a crime- fuck.  
Magnus.  
Merle.  
The Bureau of Balance.

_Shit, how did I end up here? What happened?_ He thought, and the question caused images of violent explosions and a floating girl in a yellow dress to appear. Taako sank to the floor, ignoring the cutting pain of broken glass on his hands - nothing compared to the pain of being blown to bits over and over again. He buried his face in his knees, breathing heavily.

He’d have once thought that this was the best way things could go: no one died on his watch and he kept his show. But as disconnected memories of the Grand Relics, of a floating Red Robe, or goofs and laughs with his team, of Phandalin and a floating crystal lab and a pretty hot Grim Reaper flooded through his mind, Taako realised it wasn’t enough right now. Shit, he wanted adventure and magic and friends now he had- or would experience them. Shakily he stood up, wondering where he left his coat and boots. He needed to find his friends and figure out what the hell happened.

But first, he needed a better wand. The one he had was used for basic cooking magic and felt all wrong and powerless. Wave-Echo Cave wasn’t far from here and if he was looking for his friends, the beginning seemed like a good place to start. For the first time since the end of his earlier show, Taako smiled.


	4. Reunion Part Two

Taako felt much more himself with the Umbra Staff in his hand. The handle fit there as if it was made for him, curved wood strangely warm beneath his hand. He had pounced on it with glee in the cave, shouting “Aha! There you are!” and as he had twirled it it had shot out sparks as if it was happy to see him too. It was strange, he reflected; hadn’t the umbrella sent his friend- the dwarf- Merrel? Merle?- flying across the room? But here it was, back in his hand with no resistance. Whenever Taako tried to think about that, like when he tried to look closer at the red-clothed skeleton, his mind filled with static. So he ignored it: his mind was already full of enough holes.

His mind was a piece of cloth, slowly knitting itself back together, repairing the tears and rips and he was unsure of everything. Things came and went like the tide, intangible and making him feel like he was drowning before being ripped away. A swarm of questions buzzed through him, blurring and confusing his surroundings as he strolled into Phandalin. Why did it feel strange to be here? Why had the sight of a fire pit by the side of the road filled him with a sense of urgency and dread? He knew it had something to do the Phoenix Fire Gauntlet - although that thought also felt somehow staticky - but any attempt to recreate the events that day was just a flash of disconnected images he couldn’t explain: a dwarf who looked almost like his friend, a stocky human man wearing double denim, an orc boy with an arrow, a black circle of glass seen from a floating glass bubble. 

He shook his head and tried to clear his head of the flashes. He had to find his friends. That much he knew; they were a team and together they could maybe make sense of it. He could picture a tall, brawny man with ridiculous sideburns and a dwarf with a grey beard and a wooden arm. He could barely remember their names but who they were was clear. And this; the place where he knew instinctively they had started their adventure (and gone to the moon? That bit was confusing) was the best place to start.

The town around him was built out of dark grey stone, the same as the cliffs and caves nearby which he had just returned from. It was an imposing place, most of the people as hard and cold as the surroundings, their eyes flint-like and piercing. It was a mining town surviving against all odds without a mine and the very air seemed to reflect that grim fate. Taako shouldered his pack and lifted his chin. He’d performed a show in the Underdark, he told himself, this was nothing. Yet the place seemed to weigh on him and his mouth was filled with the bitter taste of guilt.

He ignored it best he could and headed to the tavern where they had left Benny- no, Barry- Bluejeans. As he stepped towards the door he was hit with the horrific image of a man burning and stumbled backwards.

That moment of hesitation saved him from being hit by the heavy oak door which swung open with a violent crash as someone was thrown out onto the cobblestones. Three orcs stepped out, glaring down at the small figure crouched below. Taako reached instinctively for his Umbra Staff, preparing a spell. Magic came so naturally now, spells tripping easily off the tongue and running through him and the staff, it seemed laughable that only a few weeks ago Taako had been struggling to master Minor Illusion.

“Boys, boys,” the figure on the ground said, clambering to his feet. He was about four feet tall, had a long, greying beard and his voice was gruff and earthy and surprisingly familiar. Taako froze as the figure continued, “It was just a misunderstanding. I’ll get you your gold – I just left it in my hotel room. Of course, I wouldn’t place a bet if I didn’t have the money.” He laughed heartily. “That would be ridiculous. I’m a cleric of Pan; would I lie to you?”

Taako grinned as the orcs stepped forwards, one of them rolling up his sleeves like a cartoon villain. “Bad news for you guys,” he called out, drawing their attention to him and they jumped as they realised he was standing there. The street was mostly empty, though a couple of faces leant out of windows to watch the commotion below. “This dwarf totally would lie to you. You’re not getting your gold, but if you don’t clear out now you’ll get something a lot more unpleasant.”  
“Oh yeah,” one of the orcs grunted, stepping threateningly towards Taako, “What can a scrawny elf like you do to us? Who do you think you are?”

Taako grinned coolly at them from beneath the battered rim of his purple wizard’s hat. “I’m Taako – y’know, from TV? I’m the star of a very successful cooking show and today I’m serving up a taste of- hmm- how about thunderwave?”  
With those words, a powerful wave of force erupted from the Umbra Staff knocking the orcs backwards, covering their ears as the booming sound deafened them. The spell narrowly missed hitting Merle who sprung back, swaying slightly. As the orcs cringed on the cobblestones, the dwarf glared up at Taako.

“Watch where you point that damn thing!” he scolded, putting both hands on his hips. Taako paused, frowning down at him.   
“Didn’t you have a wooden arm? I swear one of your arms was like a tree or something? Am I remembering, that right?” 

Merle glared at him. “Yeah! Only after Magnus cut it off though! Y’know, when we were in that crystal place with the dead dude who tricked me?”“Oh yeah…” Taako said as images of pink tourmaline and floating robots began to piece themselves together into a narrative, much like that guy-what was his name- Kravitz- had. 

As he mused on this, the orcs began to clamber to their feet. “Oh crap, I think that’s our cue to go!” He and Merle took off running, winding their way through the streets of Phandalin as the orcs shouted after them. After a while, they seemed to give up and Taako and Merle collapsed, panting, against a shop’s back door, out of sight of the main road in case any pursuers did happen to pass. 

“What made you think it was a good idea to bet money you didn’t have?” Taako asked as he propped the Umbra Staff up beside him. Merle rolled his eyes in response.   
“Well it took you so long to turn up- I got bored! Lucky you got here when you did, I used all my magic up earlier as well.” Merled chuckled to himself. “Where have you been anyway?”“Went to pick this ol’ thing up,” Taako replied, patting the handle of the Umbra Staff, “Didn’t feel right without it and it was the first place I could actually remember. Fighting that spider dude- Brian or something.”   
“Fair, fair.” Merle nodded. “Well, Magnus hasn’t arrived yet either so I vote next step is finding him? Maybe getting a drink- somewhere other than that tavern- first and trying to figure out what’s been going on?”

Taako nodded and then frowned. “Wait. What’s the last thing you remember before we- well before whatever happened, happened? You’re going through the same thing, right? Like you suddenly remembered all this stuff, but it happened in the future?” Merle nodded. “Whoo boy, I am glad that’s not only me. Otherwise, that could be real awkward.”

“I remember Refuge,” Merle said, voice low as he thought back, “We were trying to save the town and it was inside a bubble? And it kept blowing up but we kept going back an hour? It was a time loop or something really weird? We were looking for something but I don’t remember what or-”

“The Temporal Chalice,” Taako interjected. He could remember the Grand Relics and what they did, although the things and events surrounding them were vague and didn’t sit still long enough for him to take them in. He seemed to remember the big guy- Magnus, his brain told him- eating the Philosopher’s Stone but that didn’t seem right. 

“Ohh yeah,” Merle said with a frown. “One of those- um-“ he waved a hand in the air vaguely, “thingamabobs.” Taako nodded silently in response, his brain flicking quickly through images of the Temporal Chalice, the Philosopher’s Stone, the Gaia Sash, the Oculus, and the Phoenix Fire Gauntlet. 

“We were part of the Bureau of Balance, right?” Taako tentatively said, “That big ol’ organisation which hunted the Grand Relics. There was a moon base? And we were looking for that cup-thingy, y’know, the one that could stop time, and then we were here.”   
“Gods yeah...” Merle mused, leaving up against the wall and crossing his arms, “It’s all blurry but I remember there was a Goddess- a muddy kid who was also a bird- and a girl- who was the cup?”

As Merle spoke, memories and events began to fall into a sequence; sensations and images slotting together at last. He remembered being blasted through the time bubble in a cannon by the dude with the good booze, the world shaking around him as the tremors began over and over again, the feeling of mud rising up his legs about to suffocate him as he read a journal, the white space where they had woken up so many times and in which they had - oh. 

“We got offered a choice,” Taako said, eyes widening, “The cup showed us stuff and said that we could change the past.”  
“Yeah, it offered me my arm back. But I wasn’t that worried.” Merle chuckled. “I got it back anyway so I guess we’re all winners!”  
“And I got my show back,” Taako added absentmindedly, “Without anyone getting bloodied. But still, it wasn’t exactly all that, if ch’ get me.” 

They both stopped then, shooting upright, and stared at each other.  
“Shit, Magnus,” Merle said. Taako nodded silently. “We should go find him, right? I mean, he may have gone back in time to fix something, but future buddies are still forever. There’s no way he’s getting rid of us that easily.”

“Hey if he wanted to change something he probably needs help,” Taako pointed out, “And we should probably deal with the Grand Relic situation if possible. Since everyone else was so fucking useless.”   
“Didn’t the cup say we couldn’t do that,” Merle pointed out.   
“Fuck it. It’s a cup. And since when did we ever do what we were told?” 

 

\----------------------

Kalen looked up from his maps as the messenger entered the room, glaring through the murky dimness at the intruder. “Governor,” the messenger greeted, drawing closer to the dim candlelit table.  
“Is Burnsides on his way to Neverwinter?” Kalen snapped, and the messenger stumbled as he stepped forwards, bowing uncertainly. There was a long pause and then he shook his head.  
“No, I’m sorry.” Kalen slammed his hand down onto the table, growling loudly as the messenger flinched away. “Why?” he hissed through gritted teeth, “Why is he still there?”

“I- I don’t know,” the messenger replied hurriedly, “I was standing by the cart – the old man, Steven Waxmen, came out as the driver was preparing to take the load up, and he told the driver that Burnsides was staying.” There was a long moment of silence and the messenger hastily added, “He didn’t say why – I tried asking after Burnsides, but the old man didn’t give any explanation. He paid the driver and went back into the shop.”  
The silence continued, Kalen’s head bowed low over the table, strands of greasy blonde hair brushing the maps below. Then he moved suddenly, sending the chair tumbling across the cave floor with a vicious, echoing screech of anger. The messenger started, shaking, stiff and staring with wide, terrified eyes as Kalen stood, panting, eyes unfocused, one hand clutching at the hilt of his dagger.

After a while, he spoke, his voice deathly calm and smooth. “We delay the plans. We will not strike tomorrow – not while Burnsides is there. We will wait for an opportunity. I want to see him suffer as much as I have. I don’t want him dead; I want him to know that if I cannot have Raven’s Roost, then no one will ever want to live there. I want to shatter his heroic dreams.” He laughed dryly, descending into choking coughs which echoed strangely in the cave.

“I- I could go back,” the messenger suggested, “I could spy on the sh-shop. See what happens?” Kalen looked up at him suddenly and gave a slow smile which didn’t reach his eyes. His teeth were strangely sharp and there was only cruelty – no humour in his face. The messenger quivered under his gaze, trying to sink into the shadows as he was so good at doing, but Kalen’s bright and manic gaze focused incessantly on him.

“Yes. Do that,” Kalen said eventually, turning away and walking over to the chair on the floor. The messenger hovered, waiting for more and Kalen turned to him and yelled, a wordless, threatening shout which commanded immediacy. The messenger went pale and fled. As he pulled the door closed behind him, Kalen’s dagger thudded into the wood of the door frame, directly by the messenger’s head. The door shut as he gave a panicked squeak, causing Kalen to cackle as he went to pull the elegant blade of black steel from the doorframe.

He paused, caressing it. After a moment, he raised it to his lips, muttering slightly. “Shame…” he said absent-mindedly, twisting the blade so that it cut slightly into the skin of his thin, chapped lips. “To kill such a fine blacksmith as Waxmen… shame…”

After a moment of reflection, he let out a sigh and sheathed the knife, wandering back over to his maps. The cave was silent and dark, the faint sound of dripping water resonating on the grey stone. He looked down at the map, moving the light of the candle across the map, illuminating the different pillars and streets of Raven’s Roost. His hand paused above the Craftsman Corridor; he looked down at the writing scribbled around it and gave a terrible, chilling smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy candlenights everyone! Thank you for reading and all the kind comments, and as always thank you so much to Bee for reading and giving feedback. Hopefully I will update before next year, but if not, see you all in 2018


	5. Reforming

“I’ll see you later,” Magnus shouted behind him as the door to the Hammer & Tongs banged shut behind him. He looked out at the street of Raven’s Roost before him and took a deep breath. He could do this. He knew this city: he loved this place. People had fought and died for him to be able to go and pick up some eggs for their family dinner that evening in safety. He had fought for that.

Yet something was wrong; fundamentally so. Magnus could feel it; a feeling of dread and fear which bubbled up inside of him whenever he looked at Raven’s Roost. The intense relief and protectiveness which he felt at the sight of Julia or Steven. The feeling that he was forgetting something important, that there was something that needed to be said on the tip of his tongue but never fully formed. The sick hatred he felt whenever he saw that damn cup which now sat in their kitchen, and the headaches and static which came with looking at it too long. They were just feelings, but Magnus trusted his instincts and he walked through the bustling Craftsman Corridor on high alert.

Julia and Steven were worried about him. Steven had seen him hiding his grandfather’s knife under his clothes and had at him down, approaching the issue tactically.

“War, and all the stress that you went through fighting of Kalen, well- that can have deep impacts. I was a soldier once and I’ve seen friends who can’t leave the battlefield even once the war is won,” Steven had said, looking with concern at his adopted son beneath bushy grey eyebrows, “There are people you can see, to talk about the rebellion. Kalen is gone-”  
“We don’t know that,” Magnus had pointed out, desperation rising in his throat at Steven’s words for some reason he couldn’t understand, “We never found his body.”  
“Magus,” Steven sighed, putting his hand on Magnus’ work and war-scarred arm and squeezing comfortingly, “We won, Kalen isn’t coming back. You don’t have to fight and protect us from him anymore.”  
Magnus shook his head, closing his eyes in frustration. “It’s more than that. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something I need to do. I just don’t know what it is yet.”  
Steven had just sighed and looked at him sadly, reassuring him that his family was always there if he needed to talk.

Julia hadn’t said anything yet but knowing her and seeing her worried looks whenever Magnus drifted into tense, contemplative silence, she would soon – and she would be more direct and demanding than her father. Magnus didn’t know what he would say when she did. He didn’t have the answers, just the fear that they caused.

He walked through the streets of Raven’s Roost, feet following a familiar and worn path to the Market Pillar, turning these thoughts and memories over and over in his mind, trying to find a solution but there seemed to be nothing. Magnus sighed and shoved his hands into his pocket, gripping the knife in there, it’s worn handle fitting perfectly into his palm. Steven had always joked that Magnus must have been identical to his Grandfather, a man he had never got to meet, as the where the wood of the knife was worn down was in the exact same place Magnus gripped it by decades upon decades of use. It was comforting in more ways than one; a sense of safety, familiarity and continuity wrapped up in one object.

That moment of peace was ripped away as he reached the market. A figure stood by one of the stalls, examining the wares, wearing a bright red cloak. Magnus’ heart leapt into his throat and he froze. Panic flooded through him and he struggled to breathe as static and fog seemed to fill his mind, stopping every thought in its tracks. His hand tightened around his Grandfather’s knife, ready to use it before the figure in red could see him if necessary- was it necessary? Magnus couldn’t understand but he knew the figure in red was somehow dangerous. His world narrowed until all he could see was the figure, crimson and tall beside the vegetable stand.

It seemed like forever yet simultaneously a second before the figure moved and the hood fell back, revealing a young woman with red hair. Magnus breathed out unsteadily, feeling and awareness flooding back. He didn’t know what he had expected but whatever it was, it hadn’t been the normal human now exchanging money with the vendor.

As the world came back into focus, Magnus became aware of an insistent hand shaking his arm and a worried voice repeating his name. Magnus jumped and looked down at his side to see his wife beside him, face creased in worry.

“Shit, Jules,” he said shakily as she let go and examined him carefully, “You made me jump. Wh-what are you doing here?”  
“I forgot to ask you to pick up some stuff, I thought we could walk together. Magnus, I was trying to get your attention for nearly a minute,” Julia told him, voice choking slightly, “Where were you?”  
“I just zoned out, Jules, nothing to worry about,” Magnus lied, trying to reassure her. Julia shook her head angrily.  
“You looked terrified, Magnus. That woman, she terrified you-”  
“The red robe,” Magnus corrected absent-mindedly, looking towards the stall but the woman was gone.  
“What?”  
“Not the woman. The Robe. The Red Robe.” The statement barely made any sense, Julia shaking her head and looking at him in disbelief, but Magnus knew it was the truth and that it was important.  
“I’ve gone into battle with you and you never looked like that. Never. Don’t lie to me.  
Why did you look so afraid?”

Magnus paused and then took a deep breath. “I don’t know Jules, I would tell you but know- I swear. I just- I just suddenly was scared. But I didn’t know why.”  
Julia sighed sadly and looked up at him with sadness. After a moment she stepped towards him, resting her head against his chest. Magnus’ arms came up to hold her automatically and he dropped his head to press a soft kiss to her temple. He knew they were being stared at, he could feel at least two pairs of eyes fixed upon them; the heroes of Raven’s Roost randomly embracing in the middle of the crowded market.

After a few moments, Julia stepped away, reaching out and grasping his hand.  
“Come one. Let’s head home. We need to talk.”  
“But what about the stuff-” Magus gestured to the market but Julia shook her head.  
“This is more important, we’re gonna figure out why you’ve been so weird. Let’s go.”

After a second’s thought, Magnus conceded with a nod and a grimace. Julia gave him a tense but grateful smile and began to weave her way through the crowd, back towards the Craftsman Corridor. As he turned to leave, Magnus spotted a young, dark-skinned woman in blue at the edge of the crowd, clutching a book to her chest and laden with a heavy bag. She held a tall white staff, too beautifully crafted to be a simple walking stick, in her hand and her light hair was cropped close to her head. She stared directly at him, her mouth open in shock. In the two seconds where he glimpsed her, a variety of emotions played across her face from joy to concern and fear, and Magnus felt a flash of recognition, a name or title on the tip of his tongue. But then she was gone, hidden by the crowd and the feeling faded. Magnus sighed and followed Julia, focusing on the feeling of her rough, sword-calloused hand in his and let distant, unnameable worries fade as he headed home.

\--------------------- 

Steven was out when they arrived back, running deliveries, and Magnus couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved. This conversation would no doubt be awkward enough, without the constant feeling of letting his father figure down. Julia sat down on one of their kitchen chairs, looking at Magnus expectantly, eyebrows raised. Magnus dropped into the seat opposite and took a deep breath, closing his eyes momentarily.

“Okay, you need to explain what’s going on,” Julia told him, her voice gentle but firm, “Things have been weird these past few days; at first, I thought you just had a freak out about the idea of leaving Raven’s Roost, and me, and dad. But this is more – you’ve had time but now I need to understand what’s going on. Please, Mags. I just want to know you’re okay.”

Magnus paused, looking down at his hands which were clasped on the rough-hewed kitchen table. Seeing his hesitation, Julia reached across and put her hands on his fists, holding tight in comfort and encouragement. Magnus looked down at her hands, trying to center his thoughts and focus on the sight of her simple gold wedding ring, the large white scar on her wrist where one of Kalen’s guards had attacked her, the callouses and marks from carrying a sword and working in a workshop since she was tiny. They were familiar and when Magnus breathed in again, his chest didn’t feel quite so tight.

Just then he was interrupted by an insistent banging on the door. It carried on loudly for far longer than necessary, then paused, before beginning again. Julia sighed with annoyance, removing her hands and getting to her feet.

“The salesmen are starting to sound more and more like you when you get locked out,” she told him with a smirk, moving to open the door. Magnus laughed and rolled his eyes, sticking his tongue out at Julia. She laughed at him, before opening the door, a fake smile plastered to her face.

As she saw the guests outside, it dropped off and was replaced by confusion. Magnus watched her face, the door concealing whoever it was.  
“I- I’m sorry, can I help you two?” she said, her voice genuinely confused rather than the polite, measured cadence she usually took with guests. Magnus began to rise to his feet, concern flitting across his features.

“We’re looking for a guy called Magnus?” a husky voice on the other side of the door said. It made Magnus’ head spin and he clutched at the table trying to keep upright. “Magnus Burnsides?”

“He’s here,” Julia told the guests, glancing over at Magnus, confusion clear on her face.  
“Great,” said another voice, higher this time but still dizzyingly familiar, “Can we see him?”  
“I- This isn’t a good time,” Julia said, glancing with concern at Magnus who was staring, pale and wide-eyed, fixedly at the door.  
“Honestly dear,” the voice continued, “Time isn’t really good at all right now.”  
“Nah, good is not the word I’d chose,” the other voice chimed in, “Messy, maybe.”  
“Yeah, messy sums it up pretty well.”

With that, the pair stepped past Julia who stood, confused and lost for words, into the front room of Magnus’ home. There was a dwarf with a long grey beard and battered cleric robes which indicated he was a worshipper of Pan, as did the flowers in his hair. He looked rough for a cleric though, with strong boots, his bushy grey hair pulled back from his face and crooked eyeglasses, a large pack on his back. The figure beside him was much taller and lithe, with added height from a bright purple wizard’s hat which matched his purple trousers, black heeled boots and a blue travel cape which would have shimmered if it hadn’t been for the road dust. His hair fell across his face in long waves, elvish magic keeping it looking luxurious despite the travel clothes and eyes showing a mischievous gleam which matched his companion’s, but Magnus still recognised him instantly. The pair grinned widely at him and began to cheer. Magus’ head spun.

“Taako- Merle,” he said, relief flooding through him at the sight of the pair as a wave of memories crashed upon him. He felt as if he were drowning under the weight of inexplicable images. “You’re here. That’s- that’s good?”

And with that, he passed out, welcoming the darkness which swallowed him.


	6. Chapter 6

Julia stared at her husband who had just crumpled to the floor and then turned to face the strangers, mouth open. They were looking at Magnus, faces slightly worried and concerned.  
“Is that our fault?” the dwarf muttered sideways at his companion. The elf shrugged and then paused, tilting his head.  
“Honestly, going by what I remember, I think we can establish that when Magnus goes unconscious it’s usually his fault.”  
“Yeah, sounds good,” the dwarf agreed.

It was then they became of Julia’s steely glare which was fixed upon them, as well as the large bat she kept by the door which had found its way into her hand. They both gulped as she stared them down, eyes like flint and mouth a thin dangerous line. For some reason the elf reached beneath his cloak and pulled out a red and gold umbrella, hefting it like it was a weapon. Something in the back of her mind recognised him but Julia couldn't remember where from. The dwarf coughed awkwardly and adjusted his glasses.

“Hi,” Julia said, her voice measured and emotionless, “I’m Julia Burnsides and you’re going to tell me what the hell is going on and what you did to my husband.”

“Ah,” said the elf.  
“Wait, Magnus is married?” said the dwarf, face wrinkling in confusion, “When did that happen?”  
“Shut up, Merle,” hissed the elf, elbowing him before turning back to Julia with a wide, charming, showman’s smile.

“Hi, I’m Taako,” the elf said, sweeping his hat off his head and bowing low, “You know, from TV.”  
Julia gasped as it hit her, but she didn’t lower her bat. “I remember you! You did a show here last year. I went to see it.”  
“I did?” Taako looked confused but after a moment his face cleared, “Oh yeah, I did! Sorry, I remember lots of things, but chronology stuff is still pretty messy. But yeah, I’m the cooking show guy! You know me, awesome! Do you want an autograph?”

Julia glared at him as Taako looked at her expectantly, having produced a quill from somewhere underneath his cloak.   
“No. I want an explanation.” She hefted the bat threateningly.  
“Ah yes. Well, having seen my show you will know that I am but a simple idiot wizard who means no harm to anyone.” Julia snorted doubtfully. “My companion and I – uh, his name’s Merle, he’s a cleric of Pan-”  
“-Peace be upon you and this house,” the dwarf proclaimed gravely, holding out a holy book and nodding seriously.  
“Yup, exactly. Anyway, we’re old buddies, old pals with the big guy over there – we did some adventures together a few years back and we thought we’d drop by while we were passing through town.”  
“We have an adventure lined up!”  
“Yeah, we got some business and wanted to see if he wanted in. So, if we could borrow him for a few days, that would be great.” Taako began moving towards Magnus, inching his way past Julia. “We’ll bring him back in one piece. Probably.”

Julia stuck out her bat, blocking his path. She was smart and could tell this pair was clumsily trying to bluff her. She was vibrating with anger, eyes burning like flames and jaw clenched tight. She and Magnus had been through too much for her to let these two eccentrics waltz in and lie to her about her husband for whatever nefarious reason they had.  
“No way,” she said coldly, “And I’ll make this clear now; If you as much as look at Magnus wrong, let alone take him, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth.” She paused, glaring at them for effect. Taako shrunk back beside his friend. “I gave you a chance to tell me the truth, now’s your chance to give me one reason not to kick your ass. I’m all ears.”

“Jules.” Magnus’ voice came weakly from behind her. She spun around, lowering the bat and rushing over to him, crouching down beside him and cradling his head.  
“Magnus, love, are you alright?” she asked, checking his head and forgetting the pair behind her.  
“Jules, I’m fine,” Magnus insisted, pushing her hands away and struggling to sit up. Julia sat back on her heels and gave him a doubtful look. “Taako- Merle- I know them, it’s fine. They’re not dangerous.” Julia made a noise of doubtful disagreement and Magnus smiled slightly and amended, “Not dangerous to us.” Seeing Julia’s look he squeezed her hand gently, “I swear. I do know them.”

“We are pretty dangerous,” muttered Merle moodily, “I mean we blew up Phandalin.”  
“Accidentally,” said the elf, seeing Julia’s shocked expression, “And not yet. And Magnus is just as responsible for that as we are.”

“This makes no sense,” Julia said, looking between her husband and the two visitors in confusion, “Mags, what’s going on? Is this something to do with how you’ve been acting?”  
“I think so,” Magnus said, sitting up beside her, “I couldn’t remember before but I’m starting to. It’s kinda blurry though.”  
“They said you were an adventurer? You never told me you went on adventures? I know you trained as a fighter for a while but you’re a carpenter!”  
“He hasn’t yet,” Merle chimed in and Julia shot him a furious look.  
“You two keep saying ‘not yet.’ What the hell is that supposed to mean?”  
“We’re from the future,” Merle said placatingly, “Well, sort of.”  
Julia threw her hands in the air in frustration. “And what the hell is that supposed to mean? She said, even more forcibly.

The pair paused but Magnus nodded from beside her. “She’s my wife, you can tell her everything. I trust her more than anyone.” He shot her a gentle smile before turning back to the pair. He looked shaken and tired; whatever was happening to him was taking its toll. “And I need to hear it as well. There’s so much stuff but none of it makes sense.”  
“The truth this time,” Julia added quickly and forcibly. The dwarf cleric, Merle, perked up at that.  
“Hey- I could cast Zone of-”  
“No!” Magnus and Taako cut him off. Merle’s expression became sullen and he muttered something under his breath. Magnus looked expectantly Taako who took a deep breath.

“Well, you see. We're part of this organisation called the ###### ## ####### and we have to hunt down the ##### ###### cause we are ######### up on the #### ####. So we got sent to this desert town called Refuge to get the ######## ######, and we had some killer outfits but it was inside a time bubble, and there was a time loop.”  
“We died like a bunch of times cause the town kept exploding,” Merle chipped in. Taako nodded.  
“Oh yeah. A giant worm kept destroying the town. Anyway, blah blah blah, there was a Goddess, Istus, and a giant clay dude who was also a bird. But we found the ####### and it offered us a chance to go #### ## #### and fix stuff! And Magnus decided to come back here but the ### messed up and now we remember all this stuff.”  
“Well most of it,” Merle added and Taako gave a gracious nod of concession.

Julia and Magnus stared silently at the pair for a moment and then spoke in unison.  
“Oh yeah that makes sense, I remember that!”  
“None of that makes any sense, half of it was static? How do you speak static?”

“Oh crap we forgot the static stuff,” Merle said out of the corner of his mouth to Taako who grimaced, “Okay how do we do this? Lemme try.”

He looked at Julia intently. “Here we go: we are adventurers destroying bad things which could destroy the world. Maggie over here wanted to come back here so he used a thing that messed with time. Now we’re in the past. And the timeline is screwed.”

Julia blinked at him a couple of times and then nodded slowly. “Okay, I got all of that; no static. But what happens now?”

The group stayed silent for a long time. Finally, Merle spoke.  
“I don’t know. We didn’t really think this far ahead.”

\---------------------------------------------

It was a few hours later, as they tucked into pasta made by Taako, that Magnus remembered the Cup. Being around his friends and having some answers had let him forget the sense of foreboding he got whenever he entered the kitchen recently.

He dropped his fork as it finally hit what the Cup was, his memories piecing themselves together slowly as Julia watched him with concern. Everyone jumped as he slammed his hand on the table.

“Shit! The temporal chalice is in the cupboard! That’s what the bad cup is!”

Julia looked at him in complete confusion, blinking slowly at him. However, Merle and Taako both started talking.  
“You’d think you would have noticed that, Mags,” Merle said condescendingly. Taako had other priorities.  
“Have you drunk wine out of it yet? Cause that would be baller, man.”

“Jules-” Magnus turned to her with a horrified expression, “Have you heard the cup- you know the fancy one we found- talk at all? Has it asked told you to use it?”  
Julia stared at Magnus for a long time, face blank. Then she shook her head and turned back to her pasta without a word. He reached out, touching her arm lightly. “Jules, I’m serious.”  
She sighed and looked up at him. “Magnus, I love you but why the fuck would a cup try and talk to me?”

“’Cause it was created by evil wizards and can control time,” Taako said through a mouthful of pasta. Julia dropped her fork and stared at him in shock. “Oh shit, you got all that? No static?”

“That thing is dangerous, I can’t believe I forgot,” Magnus said, running a hand anxiously through his hair, “How did I forget that?”  
“To be fair you did forget literally everything,” Merle pointed out, patting Magnus’ arm.  
“But that was in my house!” He paused and looked around frantically. “I can’t have that thing around my family! Or around me – I used it! I need to throw it off the cliff or something.”  
“Oh, like that dude in Goldcliff- do you guys remember that as well? What was his name- Barbara?” Merle mused and Julia gave him a horrified look.

“I’ll take it,” offered Taako, casually. The group turned to stare at him. Taako shrugged. “We should keep an eye on it- you don’t know where it might turn up if you throw it away. I’m good at resisting the relics. Also, I have big magic pockets to keep it in. And I wanna drink wine out of it. Or maybe piña coladas. I haven’t decided yet but that seems like a Taako-style fuck-you to the Red Robes.”

“Uh… sure,” Magus said, “It’s in the cupboard over there. I haven’t wanted to go near it, it makes me feel sick.”  
“Didn’t you eat that Stone? To be fair, that might be why you feel sick when you look at them,” Merle said.  
“What.” Said Julia, watching as Taako went over to the cupboard.  
“Taako… be careful,” warned Magnus, watching anxiously.  
“Sure thing, big guy.” He leant in and picked up the cup, holding the chalice casually and looking it up and down. He was unusually quiet for several moments and the room held their breaths, waiting for a reaction. Finally, Taako shrugged and slipped the cup into one of his coat pockets. “Nada. Not even a squeak of ‘oooohhh you could be all powerfullll.’” He sounded slightly disappointed.

“Could be a timeline thing or the cup doesn’t know what you want,” Merle pointed out.  
Taako nodded. “Fair. I did get my cooking show back and none of those people died so I guess Taako’s good in here.” He gave a slight laugh, “I’m in the best possible timeline for Taako, my dudes. Cup can’t fuck that up.”

As he tucked it into his pocket, his fingers brushed against it one last time and he was struck by the sudden memory of June’ voice as she scrolled back through his memories. “Huh, that’s strange,” she murmured, frowning as she saw impossibly long periods of static before it became familiar memories again though they were still filled with dense patches of grey static in the middle of the bright memories. Taako flinched imperceptibly as the thought struck him, ringing in his head loudly and clearly.

“You alright?” Merle asked from the table and Taako quickly switched on his smile, flashing a grin at the table.  
“Oh yeah, all good,” he lied, “So – Julia! Tell us what exactly made you decide to get hitched to Maggie-boy here. Was it a love potion? A painful delusion? Spill the goss!”

He sat down with a flourish, ignoring Magnus’ protests and Merle’s chuckles. Even as Julia gave a cautious smile and began telling how she and Magnus had met and fallen in love, Taako’s mind was elsewhere. It wasn’t that he had forgotten about the static in his memories – no, he’d remembered it fine – just before he hadn’t been able to form thoughts around it. Anytime he’d tried to focus on the idea of the static, his mind seemed to slip past and onto the next interaction.

But now, with the cup pressing against his chest, it was glaringly obvious – the awareness of holes in his memories was standing out like it should. But whenever he tried to think why the memories were incomplete, his mind would slip past- just like before, just like when the cup sent him back and he couldn’t focus on why things seemed wrong. Except now he could feel his mind doing that, and it felt inexplicably familiar though he couldn’t place where he knew it from. Still, it was a problem for another day and time. Taako turned his attention back to Julia, talking about some rebellion and smiling fondly enough at Magnus to make Taako feel ill.


	7. Chapter 7

Julia sighed and rubbed her temples, the way she always did when she was stressed. The whole day had been overwhelming – there were two strangers claiming to know her husband currently rolling out blankets on her living room floor, laughing about events that had never happened. Taako and Merle weren’t bad, persay, but despite their ridiculousness, her instincts shouted that they were dangerous, and Julia trusted her gut. 

Magnus was standing with them, laughing about some bard called Johann with the pair. For the first time in days he didn’t seem like he was afraid, yet there was still that darkness in his eyes that he’d never gained even when fighting Kalen. And the way he looked over at her, as if constantly needing to check she was still there, as if she was precious beyond belief- the whole thing was too strange. 

The conversation descended into static suddenly, making Julia flinch. It sounded unnatural and wrong, and she hated the way that trying to focus on the static scrambled every thought she had. They’d try to explain how it worked, but all she’d got was that if you drank pee of some kind you could hear through the static. It was as strange and nonsensical as the rest of it, too mixed up and confusing. 

She got up quickly and left the room without a word, the static making her head spin. She wanted her father to be home, to have one person in the same position as her, that was all she needed. If she could talk about it with someone else, if she could hash out ideas and theories, then maybe her thoughts would have some kind of order and the tightness in her chest would lessen. Biting her lip, she ran her hands through her hair as she walked around the workshop, brushing sawdust absent-mindedly off the counter. 

Behind her the door opened and she turned to see her husband carefully and quietly shutting it, looking at her with concern.   
“Hey,” he said, coming over and taking her hands, running his thumb over her wedding ring. She gave him a small smile and squeezed his hands. “You alright? I know this is a lot, I’m so sorry Jules. If you want, I can tell Taako and Merle to go to the inn- they don’t have to be here.”  
She shook her head. “No. They can stay, they are your friends and I trust you when you say they’re okay. You’re right though- this is a lot. I don’t know what to think – or how, with all the static…” She trailed off and sighed.   
“Yeah, the ####### does that. I’d get you inoculated but who knows where the Director is.”  
“Isn’t that where you drink the pee?” Julia made a face, “Babe, I think I’ll stick with being confused.”   
Magnus laughed. “Yeah, fair. I didn’t even realise I was drinking pee until I’d done it but who cares about mystery and that. It’s icky.”  
“So gross,” Julia agreed. They grinned at each other for a moment but then lapsed into silence. 

After a long pause, filled only with the faint sounds of Raven’s Roost outside, Julia took a deep breath and asked the question which had been plaguing her all day.   
“Maggie, why didn’t they know me? You said you had travelled with them for a year and they didn’t know you were married, let alone have met me. Did- did we separate? Or did I-“

She trailed off as the pained look in Magnus’ eyes told her the answer. He looked so different from how he had looked just three days ago and finally she could see that his weird behaviour had been mourning, without knowing what he’d lost. The man in front of her had broken, then pieced himself together so now he was the same but cracked and worn in a way the man she had married hadn’t been. The rebellion had been hard, but it had been just and they came out with a happy ending – the man in front of her carried the weight of all that and more; the Magnus before her knew what it was like to not have a happily ever after. 

“How?” she croaked out, “When?”   
Magnus shook his head, struggling to speak. He swallowed hard and looked at her desperately. “I don’t know exactly how, things are still not- clear. But you, Steven, and a lot of other people were killed, I know that. But it hasn’t happened, it was supposed to already have happened- it’s what I went back to change.”  
“So you spent- six years without me?” Magnus nodded, swallowing hard. “That’s a whole life, Magnus! From what I can tell, you were doing something important – something truly good and brave. Why would you give that up?” Julia stepped back, eyes wide and thoughts whirling. 

“I- I had to. I love you, I couldn’t give up the chance to see your face again. Wouldn’t you?”  
“I don’t know. Would you want me to?”

Magnus stopped and fell silent. Finally, he spoke but his voice was quiet and shaky. “I don’t know Jules. I don’t know. Everything is filtering back in slowly and I keep remembering the good I did. Hunting down the ##### ######, being part of the ###### ## #######, all the adventures and people I saved. If we hadn’t remembered I’d have given up Merle and Taako and we’re the only people who can destroy the ###### but we aren’t supposed to anymore. Was that right?” 

As soon as the words had left his mouth, the ground began to shake violently. Julia gasped and stumbled forwards, Magnus reaching out to catch her with one hand as the other reached out and grabbed the wooden column beside him. Tools rattled where they were stashed and there was a crash as a ceramic mug toppled off the table. Magnus heard a muffled yelp from the other room. Julia crashed into his chest and he tightened his arm around her, trying not to fall to the floor. He glanced down at her and she grimaced as she tried to find her feet, eyes wide and surprised and hair tumbling out of the messy bun she had pulled it back into. He could feel her wiry muscles moving as she grabbed his arm and looked around in surprise, clutching Magnus as close as he held her. Then the movement stopped, suddenly, sending Magnus back a few unsteady steps as the ground beneath his feet stilled. Julia reached out and grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him upright and grinning.

“Can’t believe you fall over as soon it stops. Come on, we better see what’s damaged.” She let go of his arm, turning to shattered mug with a sigh. Magnus’ heart swelled, and he followed her with a smile. 

Taako in the other room held his coat at arm’s length, the other hand still clutching the doorframe, while Merle picked himself up off the floor where he lay among various ingredients.   
Looking at Taako he raised an eyebrow. “An earthquake isn’t the best time to strip down, you know? There’s a time and a place bud, preferably not next to your pal Merle.”

“I – uh, ow?” Taako said, reaching to touch his ribs. Just a moment before, as the earthquake had started, he could have sworn that the cup in his inside pocket had suddenly become painfully, scorchingly hot but his cautious swat at the coat proved that it was a normal temperature. Yet his ribs still stung from the sudden flush of heat against them. Merle huffed, clearly not concerned as he out his hands on his hips and looked around. 

“Well that was quite a quake,” he declared, “Wonder what caused it.” Taako nodded absently in agreement, cautiously reaching into the pocket and pulling out the chalice. It was far from hot, actually surprisingly cool to the touch given that it had been pressed up against him for the past few hours. 

As he held it, Taako suddenly felt dizzy. His vision flashed; a moment of static, then a bright white light flashing across a dark sky, then finally a light purple sky with two suns inside it. He blinked rapidly, stumbling backwards. Merle guffawed but fell quiet as he looked at the cup. 

“Feels weird having one just…. Around, y’know? Usually we’d only have it an hour before we got back to the Moon. Don’t even wanna think about what long term exposure might do.”  
Taako shoved it back inside his coat, trying to quiet the panic that Merle’s words caused.   
“Well, nothing weird yet. Apart from the earthquake but that’s not the cup. It’s just a normal, shitty chalice,” he lied, raising an eyebrow at Merle, “We already said no once, it’s not like its gonna start tempting us with new shit.”  
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Merle agreed with a chuckle, “I got my arm, you got your show, Maggie got his girl. Chalice did its worst and we’re still standing. Nothing to worry about.”  
“Exactly, so quit being paranoid, old man.”  
“Hey, who are you calling old? Dick,” Merle shot back as he left the room.

Taako stuck his tongue out at the dwarf as he walked away. He went to pull on his coat, hesitating a moment, but with a deep breath he put it back on, the Chalice still in his pocket.

**Author's Note:**

> As you may have noticed, there are a few shifts in tenses: that's not a mistake, that's something that will happen throughout to show changes in the timeline. I'm really excited to be doing a much more plot based fic that those I usually write and it's my first adventure zone fic as well. Uni always keeps me busy so I don't have an update schedule but hopefully I will get it out soon. I hope you guys enjoy and thank you for any kudos and comments, they really keep me writing.
> 
> Thank you to [Bee](martin-du-creff.tumblr.com) for checking this all for me! If you wanna chat I'm on tumblr at [ knighting-vale](http://knighting-vale.tumblr.com/)!


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